Blockbuster sees more than 10,000 kiosks by yr-end

LOS ANGELES, April 22 (Reuters) - Blockbuster Inc (BBI.N) said on Wednesday it expects to have 10,000 rental kiosks by the end of the year following partner NCR Corp's (NCR.N) purchase of No. 2 U.S. DVD kiosk operator of TNR Entertainment Corp.

In August, Blockbuster and NCR announced a DVD vending kiosk strategic alliance, and the two companies have just completed a pilot test program in Dallas and Oklahoma City.

NCR, a minority investor in TNR Holdings Corp since the summer of 2008, said on Tuesday it had acquired the remaining equity in the company for cash.

Houston-based TNR, the second-largest DVD vending business after Redbox, operates about 2,200 DVD kiosks under the MovieCube and The New Release brands in dozens of supermarket chains.

Industry leader Redbox, owned by Coinstar (CSTR.O), has more than 12,000 locations, according to its website. (Reporting by Sue Zeidler; Editing by Richard Chang)